Houston Astros infielder Yulieski Gurriel will be suspended for the first five games of the 2018 MLB season for making a racist gesture Oct. 27 during the World Series. After hitting a home run off the Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish during Game 3 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Gurriel, 33, brought […]

In a dismal season, San Francisco Giants fans had a reason to celebrate June 28. Playing at home versus the Colorado Rockies, Jae-Gyun Hwang made history as the first Korea-born player to suit up for the Giants. In his major league debut, the 29-year-old infielder hit a dramatic, go-ahead home run in the sixth inning. […]

Today’s column, rather than recounting an individual history, takes up the question of how Japanese American history is told, and who gets represented. In the years since the awarding of redress in 1988, we have seen a great expansion in the stories that get covered under Japanese American history, and in the diversity and depth […]

A week after the All-Star break, three Japanese starting pitchers find themselves in very different situations. Just prior to the All-Star Game, the New York Yankees received the awful news that rookie right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (12-4) has a partially torn elbow ligament and there is no clear timeline for his return. The Yankees are hopeful […]

Baseball is back and that’s a good thing. The Arizona Cactus League and Florida Grapefruit League began play on Feb. 22, and the 2013 World Baseball Classic started on March 1. San Francisco Giants infielder Kensuke Tanaka had a slow start in the desert, but on March 2 against the Chicago Cubs he went 2-for-5 […]

As expected, former Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui officially retired on Jan. 3. The Houston Astros had been interested in 38-year-old, but injuries forced him from playing in the World Baseball Classic and ultimately out of baseball. Matsui enjoyed success throughout his two decades in Japan and the majors, winning championships in both leagues. He was […]

BANZAI BABE RUTH: BASEBALL, ESPIONAGE, & ASSASSINATION DURING THE 1934 TOUR OF JAPAN By Robert K. Fitts (Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 2012, 368 pp., $34.95, hardcover) Some 17 years after Nomo opened the door for Japanese players into the Major Leagues, author Robert K. Fitts has written his third book on the subject […]

SEATTLE (Kyodo) — Seattle Mariners icon Ichiro Suzuki was traded to the New York Yankees on July 23. The 38-year-old outfielder, a 10-time All-Star with the Mariners, whom he joined in 2001, was dealt in exchange for cash and two minor league prospects after Suzuki requested Seattle trade him. Suzuki, the American League’s 2001 rookie […]